Videos

This week: Solar’s wilding out; $65 billion for the next pandemic; Better, cheaper, more inclusive clinical trials; Protecting farmworkers; Biden’s AI board • Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter (http://importantnotimportant.com/newsletter) • Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.com • Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp (https://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp) Important, Not…

This week: Climate tech billions; COVID goals; A new hope for neurodegenerative diseases; An IPCC for food; Facial recognition knows no bounds. • Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter (http://importantnotimportant.com/newsletter) • Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.com • Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp (https://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp) Important, Not…

If we're going to make this world a better place, things have to change. That's why we talk with the changemakers who have the power – and the courage – to get things done. We wrap up every conversation with one question meant to get to the root of that…

This week: Wind NIMBY’s; More nurses, stat; Diabetes on the rise; Evictions; Cybersecurity commitments. • Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter (http://importantnotimportant.com/newsletter) • Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.com • Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp (https://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp) Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media (http://crate.media/)

Each week we kick off our conversations with the smartest people in the universe with one humble question: “Why are you vital to the survival of the species?” The responses typically range from laughter, modest denial, to audible discomfort. But when the air clears, we typically get some gems of…

This week: Operate from a place of self-awareness; God, we are so bad at math; A half-century later; Drive pediatric cancer research; What’s the future of meat work? TikTok misinformation enters the chat. • Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter (http://importantnotimportant.com/newsletter) • Got feedback? Email us at…

In Episode 122, Quinn has big questions about AI ethics and, like many other situations, is left wondering: was Dr. Ian Malcolm right all along? Our guest is Dr. Rumman Chowdury. She is the director of the Machine Ethics Transparency & Accountability (META) team at Twitter, where she’s helping to…

In Episode #121, Quinn’s got a fantastic new guest to help answer his favorite question: “What can I do?” Isaias Hernandez – or, as he’s known pretty much everywhere on the internet, Queer Brown Vegan -- shares the mic today. He’s built a massive following using an intersectional approach to…

This week: 50% isn’t good enough; Facebook fossil fuel ads; How to get shots to Africa; Oysters!?; Why has AI failed to help during COVID? • Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter (http://importantnotimportant.com/newsletter) • Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.com • Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp…

In Episode 120, Quinn discusses retraining our mind to understand and operate in the discontinuity we are in. Let’s get META. HIs guest is Alex Steffen, a longtime climate reporter and futurist, as well as writer of the forthcoming book The Snap Forward. The world as we know it is…

In Episode 119, Quinn asks: what’s in wildfire smoke, what does it do to your body, and how can you stay safe? Our guest is Dr. Mary Prunicki, the director of air pollution and health research at Stanford University under The Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research.…

This week: FDA got next?; Flooded subways; Delta's a game-changer; Epic (AI) fail; Fire predictions; Food stamp groceries delivered. • Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter (http://importantnotimportant.com/newsletter) • Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.com • Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp (https://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp) Important, Not Important is produced…

I don't have to tell you folks – climate change is the story of our time. There’s been a sharp rise (like last week) in people are anxious, angry, and want action – and the opening for bold climate action has never been wider. And “A Matter of Degrees” gives…

In Episode 118, Quinn discusses: the big mosquito problem. Our guest is Dr. Omar Akbari, one of the world’s pre-eminent biotechnology and mosquito researchers. For how afraid people are of sharks, mountain lions, or even just other people (the worst), mosquitoes have actually killed more humans than pretty much anything…

In Episode 117, Quinn discusses: how accountability works – and doesn’t – in the climate movement, how you can get involved, and how the best in the world are doing it. Our guests are Mary Annaïse Heglar and Amy Westervelt. The duo makes up Hot Take, a podcast and newsletter…

In Episode 116, Quinn wants to know: why is simply giving people money the most effective way to 1) help them make positive changes to their lives and 2) erase global poverty along the way? To help him understand the answer, he brought on Caroline Teti and Michael Faye from…

In light of new research on toxic ingredients, it looks like America might finally start regulating cosmetic products, so it’s a great moment to re-run one of our most popular episodes with Beautycounter CEO Gregg Renfrew. In episode 87, Quinn & Brian ask: what, exactly, are we putting on our…

In celebration of New York state passing Bill S6532A, permitting underwater kelp cultivation, we’re re-playing one of our coolest (and most entertaining) episodes. Kelp could be THE crop of the 21st century. But why? Listen in to find out. In Episode 81, Quinn & Brian discuss: legalizing the weed of…

In Episode 115, Quinn & Brian discuss: How to stop fossil fuel advertising. Our guests are JaRel Clay and Jamie Henn. JaRel Clay is the Digital Director of Hip Hop Caucus, a national nonprofit focused on ending the climate crisis, having some fun, and tackling racial justice along the way.…

In Episode 114, Quinn asks: What are carbon offsets, and do they even work? Our returning guest is Akshat Rathi, a reporter at Bloomberg Green. Carbon offsets -- like our planet -- are so hot right now. And like our planet -- they kind of don’t work! So fun. But…

Synopsis: We can time travel to the past to understand how we got to where we are today. But the past doesn’t dictate the future - not anymore. So we have to look forward. The decisions we make today will guarantee that the world of 2041 is cleaner, safer, and…

In Episode 113, Quinn asks: What can we learn from plants? The answer, it turns out, is: A whole heck of a lot. Our guest is the wonderful and way overqualified Dr. Beronda Montgomery -- PhD, writer, researcher, scholar, and author of “Lessons from Plants.” (https://www.berondamontgomery.com/lessonsfromplants/) Dr. Montgomery’s dedicated her…

This week: An electric truck for the masses; India’s vaccine production stays home; Better cancer screening; Beef emissions. • Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter (http://importantnotimportant.com/newsletter) • Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.com • Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp (https://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp) Important, Not Important is produced by…

Oh, when we were young and so naive. In Episode #9 (!), Quinn and Brian got to know Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, an infectious diseases physician, Associate Professor at the Boston University School of Medicine, and the Medical Director of Special Pathogens Unit (SPU) at Boston Medical Center. TLDR of the…